1967 Shelby GT500 On the Trail of the Blue Lady ! Lost Beast

This is the Jim Morrison’s lost 1967 Shelby GT500 On the Trail of the Blue Lady. He wanted a car, but didn’t know what kind. That is, until he saw the Mustang Shelby GT350 owned by his hair stylist (and future Manson Family murder victim), Jay Sebring. Jim thought the car looked both classy and brutal, and asked Holzman for one. Holzman agreed and did one better, buying Jim a brand new, Night mist Blue 1967 Shelby GT500. This 1967 Shelby GT500 was christened “The Blue Lady” by Morrison’s friend, Babe Hill; it was named after a character in a screenplay Morrison had been working on. Jim’s Shelby was equipped with a 428 Police Interceptor power plant with dual quad Holley carburetors and a four-speed manual transmission.

The 1967 Shelby GT500 was unusual in a number of ways, as it had a parchment interior in lieu of the black more commonly found with Night mist Blue cars. It also lacked the bumper-to-bumper Le Mans stripe that most Shelbys had draped across the top. It had the rare 10-spoke wheels, and was not equipped with air conditioning. As an early production car, it also differed from the Mustang Shelby GT500 norm by having large, round, twin fog lights paired close together in the center of the grille. Another lead involves an official of the Blacktop Nationals car show, who claims he may own Morrison’s car. While he can’t prove this with hard evidence, he insists that when his Night mist Blue and Parchment 1967 Shelby GT500 was given a frame-off restoration, clues that the car was “The Blue Lady” were found.

Seeing Jim at gas stations pumping high-test into The Blue Lady was likely a fairly common sight around Los Angeles, as the car only averaged 10 mpg, and likely far less given his driving habits. In the Spring of 1969, Jim and his friends Babe Hill, Frank Lisciandro, and Paul Ferrara decamped to the desert near Palm Springs to shoot what was essentially an extended trailer for a feature film that Jim intended to direct and star in. It told the story of a psychopathic hitchhiker who kills a man that gives him a ride, and then steals his car. Not surprisingly, the vehicle in the film happens to be one 1967 Shelby GT500.

Features Of 1967 Shelby GT500

Equipped as it was, Jim’s 1967 Shelby GT500 packed 335 horsepower at 5,400 rpm, and 420 lb-ft of torque at 3,200 rpm. This was good for a consistent 0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds and a standing quarter mile of 15.0 seconds at 95 mph. Heady stuff for 1967.

According to the California DMV, “The Blue Lady” 1967 Shelby GT500 was last recorded with the state on April 30, 1969. Its ownership was listed as James Douglas Morrison, care of Johnson/Harband, the accounting firm that handled The Doors’ finances. Amateur Blue Lady sleuths who have contacted the firm, now known as Johnson/Harbrand/Foster/Davis, have been greeted with something less than enthusiasm when discussing the car on the record. But they have suggested that they get the feeling the firm is, in fact, holding back some pertinent information.